Took me 8 years to realize I was overworking my mix on big pours

I was out on a job near Chattanooga last spring. Pouring a warehouse floor about 120 yards. This old timer shows up to drop off lunch for his son on the crew. He watches me work the mix for a few minutes, then just says 'son, you're killing it before it even sets.' I had no idea what he meant. Turns out I was running the vibrator too long and too deep. Always thought more vibration meant stronger concrete. He showed me how you just let it sink in and out quick. Next pour came out way smoother and I didn't have all that cream rising to the top. Has anyone else had one of those moments where a guy with 40 years experience just casually points out you've been doing it backwards?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_logan22d ago

That bit about him telling you you're 'killing it before it even sets' really stuck with me. Did you ever find out what kind of damage you were actually doing to the concrete's long-term strength with that old technique?

victor_butler5022d ago

Ask how long it took before you noticed any real difference in the concrete's durability or finish quality. I mean, he made it sound like overworking it could cause real long-term problems, not just a bad surface look. Did you ever go back and test any of those older pours to see if they actually held up worse?